Gas Hydrate Formation At Interfaces

Gas hydrates are crystalline solids comprised of a hydrogen-bonded water lattice, which traps small gas molecules, such as methane and carbon dioxide. Gas hydrates present a major flow assurance problem when they form blockages in subsea oil and gas pipelines. These compounds can also form during containment of a Deepwater oil spill, leading to blockages of the containment system. Such events can present severe safety, environmental, and economic risks. A key step to developing control strategies of gas hydrate formation in subsea pipelines or containment structures is to understand gas hydrate formation at gas/liquid, liquid/liquid, solid/liquid interfaces. The nature and chemistry of the fluid system can have a significant influence on the physical phenomena leading to hydrate blockage. This paper will present an overview of the state-of-the-art in gas hydrates in flow assurance, and recent experimental data on hydrate formation at interfaces over a range of operating conditions (T,P) and chemistries (salinity, surfactant).